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Tip of the Week: Gmail in Many Languages

By J.d. Biersdorfer November 1, 2012 6:37 amNovember 1, 2012 6:37 am

While hardware keyboards can be frustrating when trying to communicate by e-mail with people around the world, Google’s new collection of Input Tools for its Gmail service helps expand the options for typing in different languages and non-Western character sets. These Input Tools include on-screen virtual keyboards designed for languages like Korean, Hebrew and Arabic, as well as a transliteration feature that converts typed letters used for English words into the same phonetic sounds produced by another chosen alphabet. Google also provides an Input Method Editor that converts keystrokes on a Western/Latin-character keyboard into characters used by the Chinese and Japanese languages.

To use the Input Tools with Gmail, you need to turn them on in the Settings area. Log into your Gmail account on the Web, click the gear-shaped icon on the right side and select Settings.

On the Settings screen, click the General tab and under Language, click on “Show advanced options.” Turn on the checkbox next to “Enable input tools” and select the languages you wish to add. Click the OK button and then click the Save Changes button on the Gmail Settings page.

Once the Input Tools have been added, they appear as menu options under the keyboard icon on the top right side of the Gmail window. Google has further instructions for using Input Tools with Gmail here.

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